Our Doctors

Our Doctors

Our Doctors

Surgeons in Middletown, CT

Shoreline’s doctors are leaders among surgeons in Middletown, CT and throughout the state. Our doctors draw on decades of surgical experience and professional excellence to bring you the reassuring, personalized care that you need. Our surgeons have a high level of education and expertise in several specialties, including vascular, colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, bariatric, gallbladder, and all aspects of general surgery.

Please visit our Procedures Page for a full list of Shoreline’s surgical capabilities.

Joseph A. Coatti, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Coatti completed a General Surgery residency at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, CT in 1987. He went on to become a Cardiovascular Surgery Fellow at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, TX. In 1988, Dr. Coatti joined Shoreline Surgical Associates, where he serves as director of the Angio Center for the minimally invasive treatment of peripheral vascular disease

Now the senior and managing partner of the group, he has overseen the growth and development of vascular surgery in central Connecticut. He has practiced vascular surgery in Middlesex County for the past 25 years, and is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery.

Dr. Coatti has served as a Medical Staff officer at Middlesex Hospital for 12 years, serving as President of the Medical Staff from 2007 to 2011. In 2001 he developed the endovascular surgery program at Middlesex, initially with Aortic Aneurysm treatment. He was recognized by his peers as a “Top Doc” in Connecticut Magazine, 2009-2010; and in 2011, he opened the state-of the-art, fully accredited SSA Angio Center. He is a member of multiple professional societies including the Society of Vascular Surgery and The New England Society of Vascular Surgery.

In his spare time, Dr. Coatti enjoys boating, traveling, and radio controlled flying.

Jonathan D. Blancaflor, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Blancaflor, an expert in gastroesophageal and colon surgery, joined Shoreline in 1991. He received his training at New Britain General Hospital and the Hospital of Saint Raphael after completing his studies at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. In 1996, Dr. Blancaflor completed an Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery Fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Dr. Blancaflor serves as a Senior Attending member of Middlesex Hospital’s Center for Advanced Surgery. He has specialized training in Advanced Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) Surgery and Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, and he has taught multiple laparoscopic suturing courses both locally and internationally. His other specialties include minimally invasive colorectal surgery, thoracic, vascular, GERD, laparoscopic biliary tract, and all aspects of general surgery. He is also pioneering a new surgical treatment for hemorrhoids known as THD. Dr. Blancaflor is board certified by the American Board of Surgery, and he serves as Chairman of both the Surgical Robotics Program and the Surgical Patient Safety Initiative. He is also recognized by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) as a Surgeon Champion.

Jonathan S. Aranow, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Aranow is a nationally recognized expert in the field of bariatric surgery, known for his excellent results with weight-loss surgery patients and for his leadership role in securing insurance coverage for these life-changing procedures. “I love being able to help my patients to not only achieve long-term weight loss but also restore their health and quality of life. It’s a thrill to call a patient’s primary care physician and report that in just a few months we’ve cured an individual’s diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

In 2001, Dr. Aranow was instrumental in the creation of the Middlesex Hospital Center for Weight Loss Surgery. The Center has earned the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s (ASMBS) “Center of Excellence” designation for its demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes following thousands of bariatric surgery procedures. The designation recognizes not only surgical excellence, but also the nursing and professional excellence of staff members who are involved in the care of bariatric surgery patients. The Middlesex Hospital Center for Weight Loss Surgery is a comprehensive medical, educational and supportive program.

In addition to his bariatric practice, Dr. Aranow continues an active practice in general surgery with special strengths in robotic and minimally invasive surgery, bowel surgery, hernia and cancer procedures. Dr. Aranow performs more robotically assisted procedures than any other general surgeon in Connecticut. Da Vinci Robot Assisted Surgery is a minimally invasive technique which can be utilized in most varieties of surgical procedures. Use of this technology provides patients with faster recovery, reduced operative pain, and advantages in safety and outcomes.

In his spare time, Dr. Aranow enjoys tennis, photography, and downhill skiing.

Joseph J. Robles, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Robles, a specialist in gallbladder, hernia, and bariatric surgery, completed his undergraduate studies at Tufts University, majoring in Classical Latin and English Literature. He received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and completed his residency in General Surgery at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven. Dr. Robles began working at Shoreline in 2008 after spending nine years in solo practice with his father, also a surgeon.

Certified by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Robles is a proven leader in gallbladder surgery in the state of Connecticut. His other specialties include hernia surgery, breast cancer surgery, general surgery, robotic surgery, and bariatric surgery. He is a collaborator with Dr. Aranow at the Middlesex Hospital Center for Weight Loss Surgery.

Dr. Robles’s hobbies include downhill skiing, playing instrumental music (piano and guitar), and pulling for the Red Sox.

Albert D Sam II, M.D. ,M.M.M., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Albert Sam has recently joined Shoreline Surgical Associates. He joins SSA from Tulane University where he was an associate professor and chief of vascular and endovascular surgery at the Tulane Heart & Vascular Institute. After graduating magna cum laude from Morehouse College, he received his medical education at the Duke University School of Medicine and then completed a general surgery residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). At UIC Dr. Sam received a Master’s of Science degree in Surgery from the UIC graduate college where his thesis directly resulted in a new drug use patent for the treatment of sepsis. He then completed a fellowship in vascular and endovascular surgery at the Feinberg Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago after which he became one of the first physicians nationally to be board certified in general surgery, vascular surgery, and endovascular medicine. He also completed Tulane’s executive Master of Medical Management degree from Tulane University’s Public Health School - department of Health Systems Management.
Prior to joining Tulane’s faculty, Dr. Sam practiced in a private group for 10 years in Baton Rouge where he also served as the chief of vascular surgery for the Baton Rouge General hospital where he developed the region’s first multidisciplinary, multi-practice limb salvage program. In addition to being an active clinician he has been an active researcher - serving as a principal investigator for numerous national and international vascular clinical trials including the landmark NIH stroke trials CREST and CREST-2.
Administratively he led Tulane’s Gulf South Quality Network - a clinically integrated, statewide physician network comprising overseeing processes to improve quality and safety. Dr. Sam has received numerous awards for both his clinical and civic contributions to Louisiana and SSA warmly welcomes Dr. Sam, his wife Roberta and their children to Connecticut.

Kristine Lane, PA-C, MSHS

Kristine Lane joined Shoreline in 2013 as Dr. Coatti’s physician assistant. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Fordham University before completing her Physician Assistant Certification and Masters in Health Science from Drexel Hahnemann University in 2007. Upon graduating, she worked as an Emergency Room Physician’s Assistant at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, CT.
At Shoreline, Kristine Lane works primarily with patients experiencing vascular disease. As the first point of contact with many of these patients, Kristine provides an initial consultation by taking the patient’s history, performing a physical exam, and assisting in diagnostic testing and bloodwork in order to determine the best form of treatment. Kristine is first assist in the operating room with Dr. Coatti for all of his open surgical procedures. She also conducts sclerotherapy for the treatment of spider and varicose veins.
A mother of two young daughters, Kristine enjoys spending time with her family and reading mystery novels and other short stories.